Sigma US announces Mount Conversion Service for recent lenses

Sigma has announced a 'Mount Conversion Service' for any of its recent 'Global Vision' lenses - a paid-for service designed to reduce the uncertainty of changing camera systems. The company says it will charge between $80 and $250, plus shipping costs, depending on the specific lens. The Global Vision range currently includes seven lenses - from the huge 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS Sport for full-frame DSLRs, down to the 19mm F2.8 DN Art for Micro Four Thirds. The company has also extended the warranties on all new products to four years (USA only).

Press Release:

Sigma Corporation’s new Mount Conversion Service enables lens use across camera systems

Manufacturer announces first-ever mount change option, as well as universal, four-year warranty for all products

RONKONKOMA, N.Y., — Aug. 1, 2013— Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world’s most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, today announced a revolutionary new, fee-based service that will enable the company’s Global Vision lens owners to change their lens mounts for use on different camera systems.

In addition to the announcement of the industry’s first Mount Conversion Service, Sigma is also extending the warranty on all of its products – including cameras, lenses and flashes purchased on or after July 1, 2013 – to four years. Previously, warranties varied by product. This enhanced product protection provides Sigma’s customers with more consistency and improved service.

“Professionals and amateurs alike are taking advantage of the many affordable camera options in today’s market; they’re updating their camera bags and exploring new systems and brands,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. “When photographers purchase a lens, it’s often a significant, financial and artistic commitment – and we believe that investment should last a lifetime. Our new Mount Conversion Service and extended warranty are intended to help Sigma users get more enjoyment from our products, regardless of how their approach to photography changes overtime.”

Cost of the conversion will range between $80 to $250, plus shipping costs, depending on the focal length of the lens. All lenses will be shipped to Sigma’s US subsidiary in New York, and updated, calibrated and optimized for the new camera system at Sigma’s factory in Aizu, Japan. All lenses that undergo the Mount Conversion Service will be covered under warranty for six months following the update. Teleconverters, USB Docks and other accessories are not eligible for the service.

Comments

Well, it is all wrong ;)If only Sigma designs its lenses in a way that allows users to change the mount by themselves....the mount modules would sell much better than one time conversion service, I suppose.And we could use the lenses with any of our toys..(Tamron used to have it in 'manual' era..)

The reason Sigma is offering the mount changing service at all is to convince some not-so-practical people that it is o.k. to try Sigma cameras and at the same time give people a perception that there is an advantage in buying Sigma lenses over other brands, "because if you want to switch brands you can keep your lenses!" The reality is that it would cost you more than selling the lenses and buying other used lenses in the mount that you're switching to. Sigma will probably never make an easily-swapped interchangeable mount system, because it would add a little bulk, but mainly it would mean they would probably sell fewer lenses. That said, if it became a trend for after-market companies to do this, they would probably join in. If Tamron and Tokina both started doing it, Sigma would probably do it too.

There is a high level of calibration needed to change mounts and maintain optical properties. This goes from adapting optics to different thicknesses of sensor UV+diffraction+etc. filters, to calibrating mechanicals, to making sure autofocus doesn't need microadjustment.

None of this applies to film+manual focus.

Nevertheless, I'm very happy for the service. It gives me confidence in the lenses I buy. The might outlast the systems I shoot with.

I appreciate sell/rebuy philosophy, but (1) who has time to sell? (2) If a system dies, the resale value will shoot to zero.

It's only six lenses that can be converted. Why doesn't Sigma offer to change the mounts on the SD cameras? As for the 4 year warranty the EX DG lenses had that. As for any new SD camera coming out, well......a new Sigma DSLR........well this may be Sigma's way of saying no to DSLR's and going forward with the DP line. I mean if you own one of theses new lenses and want to switch, ok do it. It would be nice if Sigma had parts to fix some of my 9 year old lenses and 8 year old camera bodies. Oh well what ever.

As time goes by there will be more and more A, C, and S lenses, which can be switched (and which work with the USB dock). As for a new DSLR body . . . the new SD1 Quattro (if that is indeed what it is going to be) will probably be announced pretty soon. I'm guessing they will be selling by Christmas . . . maybe that is just wishful thinking though.

Or,better yet, offer their SD1 Merril in at least Canon and Nikon mounts and watch their camera sales become highly profitable for the first time. I believe there are a good many users of those brands who'd love to pick one up as a second body, but don't want to be tied to the SA mount.

Since Sigma is private there's no way of knowing if the DSLR sales are profitable, they may well be already.

If you wanted to use it as a second body you could get an SA lens and then convert it to your main body later on if you wanted to... but for a second body that uses Foveon you are much better off looking at getting a DP-M camera first. Then you are not tied into any mount and the whole camera costs just as much as a really good lens.

This is a boon for individuals switching systems, particularly for those with the more expensive lenses, of which the 120-300mm f/2.8 is the current best example. I suspect that all new lens designs will be eligible, and if Sigma decides to make a v. 2 500mm lens or v. 2 300-800mm lens, the price of conversion is minimal compared to the lens itself. The conversion capacity might also be used by the used market buyers. I can imagine a videographer coming from the Nikon platform needing to convert to EF mount, used by Canon, RED, BlackMagic, and other high-level video cameras (the other mount used is the PL mount).

The conversion capacity may future proof the lenses should for some reason the camera companies decide to change mounts.

You are obviously not a Sigma camera user .. used SA -mount lenses are next to impossible to find ..and even more impossible to sell :) We also pay up to 2-300 euros more for a new Sigma SA mount lens compared to the same lens in EOS or Nikon-mount.

If you don't think it's worth the money when you're faced with the need for lenses of a different mount, go ahead and search ebay, risk getting an item not as described (because that never happens to anyone, right) pay your shipping costs, pay the 4% or whatever to ebay and 4% to paypal from the sale of your own lens, and move on with your life.

When you know you've got a great lens, could it just maybe be that $80-$250 to not F around with all the potential perils of ebay might just be worth it?

You are assuming that:1/ The lens returned by Sigma is the same one you sent in.2/ The conversion process does not have any impact on the performance of the lens. Just because it performed great with the previous mount does not mean it will do the same with the new mount. A mount that is off axis just slightly can turn a great lens into an average one.3/ Ebay is the only place to buy lens.

1) Yes because what Sigma really want is to P off their customers by returning them a different lens than they sent in. I'm sure most people will be clever enough to write down the serial no. anyway before shipping it off.

2) If you have a 'dud' you wouldn't bother having it converted to begin with. Inversely, if your lens is stellar, why sell it and gamble on getting an equally good one back? Your logic... is no logic.

3) The fees relate to selling. If you know of an obviously better way to sell old photo equipment than eBay, you need to tell us, as most of us seem to be doing it wrong then.

The 120-300 f2.8 is in it's 4th generation at this point and has been available for 7-8 years. Where you been? All kidding aside, I have the OS version prior to this one and for the money this lens is a true sleeper. Even the newest version is less than half the cost of a Canon 300 f2.8L IS MkII. Mine isn't as tack sharp as the Canon at f2.8 but the rest of the range it's stellar. For 90% of the IQ, half the cost and 120-299mm that the prime can't do it's a steal.

I've got a bunch of images using the lens with a Canon 7D posted in my gallery if you want to check some shots.

The new version is pretty much equal optically but adds a focus limiter and the ability to customize settings using the new USB dock.

Does it mean we can get the K mount with lenses produced only for EF, F, and SA? It's not clear, why Sigma don't produce 120-300mm for Pentax or Sony if it can change a mount of this lens? Or some restrictions nevertheless are there?

Overall, a good idea but the pricing needs work. A better idea would be an "interchangeable" mounting system that could be changed by the consumer like Zeiss is doing this now with their Compact CP.2 lens except maybe better.

There's no way it would cost you close to $80 to sell your used lens and buy another (used or possibly even new) lens in a different mount for their cheap prime lenses. And for some they will charge more than $80. This whole service is a ripoff.

A question pops up ... If they can change the mount on, say, my 24-70/2.8 Sigma lens from Canon's EF to Nikon F mount and keep the focusing, does that mean they can change the mount on the Canon's L version of the same lens to the Nikon F mount?

If it can be done on Sigma lenses, can it be done on Nikkors and Canons?What about flange distance?

no very unlikley they could. these new lenses were built with this in mind. with all there electronics in the back near the mount. canon wont have designed to be switched to nikon. sigma isnt even offering to do this to there own lenses except the ones they made after they already planned to offer this service

This seems pointless. At the price they quoted it should almost always be cheaper to just sell the version you own and buy a used copy of the version you want.

Besides, what I got from the article above is that if your lens has like 2 years left of warranty and you send it in for conversion, that 2-year warranty becomes 6-month. So that is another limitation.

What they really should do is charge a max of 10% of the lens's retail price, and as long as your lens is in mint condition, give you a brand new lens in the mount of your choice while they refurbish the one you sent in, that way no mount changing is required and at least you get a decent value.

for that to make any kind of business sense theyd need to be able to sell the refurbished lens for more than they sell the new lenses for. why on earth would they do this. why when a company offers a good service do people get upset it is not some pie in the sky thing that could never happen

I see that Sigma is having more proximity with the client desire, which is good. Joining the quality of their latest products in lenses that is producing lately. Such as the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 and and probably 24-70mm f / 2 OS HSM next year, is the way to go.Can not compensate for "cheap" lenses, but it is up to the customer to decide. Lens of average or high price, this mount conversion service will compensate the investment for sure.

I'll tell you what, you send me your 19mm f/2.8 or 30mm f/2.8 Sigma lens, I will charge you $80 and send you the same version of that lens in the mount of your choice in equal or better condition as the lens you send in, with as many lenses as you want, I will have a sizable profit margin and I won't even have to change the mount. Then we'll see whose math is better.

For someone who switches systems, it beats selling and buying the same lens in another mount - especially if that copy is a very good one. It's a win win situation, user gets to transfer the lens to a new system, Sigma generate income.

Well ..its might not be a big thing to Canikon users ..lenses with those mounts are super-easy to sell and buy ...but ... its actually very diffcult to find a second hand Sigma SA lens ...and even harder to sell one...I think Sigma is mainly offering this service in order to get more users to try the SD-1M and future models .. many posters in the Sigma -camera forum have boiled it down ... like this : " If only I clould use my Nikon / Canon -mont lenses on it , I would buy a Sigma camera in a heartbeat ... now they can ..sort of :)

How convenient, ignore high-end lenses, take a part of a deal and ridicule it.

How about this. Sell your old Sigma lens that cost you 3500$ (like 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS Sport) for 3300$ and buy an equally good copy in other mount for no more than 3500$. And do it in less time than the Sigma conversion.

Good luck with that :)

And how will your argument look once Sigma releases some high-end lenses for Sony E / MFT? Coz that could never happen, right?

You could probably do that and incur about the same cost or less as Sigma will charge you as well. So it's pretty much breakeven and therefore only marginally useful. On the mid to low end lenses it's totally useless because you'll end up paying more.

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